Shopkeepers in a UK town are being plagued by shoplifters – with one person comparing the town centre to “Jurassic Park and Jeremy Kyle”.
Businesses in Bolton town centre say they are being targeted by shoplifters every day – with Greater Manchester Police bringing in a new high street enforcement squad in a bid to tackle the problem.
Suleiman Hekimi, who has run his Diva business in the town for seven years, has installed CCTV – but he says the thieves simply “don’t care”.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News (MEN), the 45-year-old said: “Whatever has blown up on TikTok are the things that schoolchildren steal.
“The other day, rosemary oil was popular on TikTok and all the schoolchildren were nicking it.
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“The oil is £10 each, so if they take 10, that’s £100. Sometimes, when they take a wig, that’s £100 just on its own.
“It’s not just children, it’s women too. There isn’t an age limit. It’s everybody.”
Suleiman also claims the “police won’t bother” with small scale shoplifting due to a loophole in the law that means thefts under £200 should be dealt with by a £70 fixed penalty notice.
Adding that he thought thieves felt they were “easy pickings”, he said: “They know there is nothing you can do. They used to be scared of the police, but now they just put everything in their bags and walk out.
“A few months ago, a woman stole something and we told her to give it back. She gave the item back but threw every item off the shelf onto the floor. We lost more than £100 from the broken things.”
Mohammed Khalid, manager of phone shop Mobile 2K, has resorted to hiding high-value stock – and locking suspected thieves in the store.
He told the MEN: “It can get a bit crazy. If we get people who we think are going to steal, we just lock them in for five minutes.
“When you know someone is trying to distract you and you’re on your own, you can use it as a fall back.”
In other shops in Bolton town centre, traders have resorted to methods including keeping coffee in a separate area and only putting out one packet of laundry pods at a time.
One worker at a chain store, who did not wish to be identified, said: “If we leave the aisle [by the door] with no staff members on, they will grab a basket, fill it and do one – they’ll even take the basket too.”
She added: “We can watch them and if we see they’re doing anything we can ask them for the product, but we’re not physically allowed to do anything.”
Sergeant David Keir, from Greater Manchester Police’s Bolton district, urged business owners in the town to speak to police.
He said: “We have worked closely with stores and local partners to ensure the best work possible is being done for Bolton.
“Recently, one store called us up to give us a direct tip-off, which resulted in a subsequent arrest [on] suspicion of shoplifting. Other stores will talk to us about the ways in which things are stolen, including times and who is responsible.
“This assists with intelligence and helps us paint a picture of offenders and where they are likely to target.
“Ultimately, if we receive a report, we will act on it, and our officers are committed to keeping Bolton’s streets safe while reducing crime.”
